Boost for Tottenham as Serie A giants lower asking price for 24-year-old defensive ace

AS Roma drop asking price for Tottenham Hotspur target Roger Ibanez

Tottenham Hotspur will have to pay between €25–28 million for AS Roma defender Roger Ibanez in the ongoing transfer window, according to Italian outlet Calciomercato.com.

The Giallorossi are willing to part ways with the Brazil international this summer in order to balance their books. Spurs are one of the teams interested in acquiring the centre-back’s services.

A few months back, Atletico Madrid also enquired about the 24-year-old but were put off by the Serie A outfit’s €35 million valuation. However, it looks like the Stadio Olimpico side have amended their demands since then.

At the moment, the North London side have the advantage in the race to get a hold of Ibanez’s signature. Premier League rivals Newcastle United have decided to end their pursuit of the Brazilian.

Roma signed the defender from Atalanta in the summer of 2019. Initially, the centre-back was a bit-part player at the Italian outfit. However, over the years, he has been a key player for them.

Jose Mourinho has trusted the 24-year-old in his backline over the last two seasons. Having won the UEFA Europa Conference League title in 2022, the Giallorossi also made it to the UEL final this year, losing to Sevilla.

Tottenham’s defence has left a lot to be desired in recent months. In the 2022/23 campaign, we looked shaky at the back and struggled to keep clean sheets. Even when Spurs took the lead in games, our fragility at the back cost us.

Cristian Romero is considered one of our better players in the defence. However, the Argentine was not at his best in the latter stages of last season. The likes of Eric Dier, Clement Lenglet, Ben Davies and Davinson Sanchez were underwhelming as well.

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Therefore, we could evidently do with some quality reinforcements in the centre-back position. But is Ibanez the solution to our defensive woes? It remains to be seen.